After two nights straight of catching up-and-coming bands, there was some relaxing in the cards last night. While we've previously talked about the hit-or-miss nature of CMJ, you really can't go wrong with a night of classic disco records, which is why we went to a CMJ party thrown by the most excellent DFA Records.

The party might as well have been "Victory Lap" given the year DFA has had. After 2007 left many music geeks wondering if the label had gone stale, 2008 saw James Murphy and company smash the electro-"banger" culture and once again popularize disco with acts like Hercule and Love Affair. 2009 saw the label further their disco tendencies, putting a massive collection of near-perfect singles from Still Going, Shit Robot, Canyons, and many more. They also had a new pair of self-described "step children" named YACHT, whose new album, See Mystery Lights, has gotten glowing reviews.

Last night's show kicked off with DJ sets by Holy Ghost! and Shit Robot, both playing a batch of house and classic records before YACHT took the stage, the party's only live performer. We first encountered the duo as an opener back in 2007, and my how times have changed. While YACHT created extremely fun electropop previously, there didn't seem to be much room for growth beyond two kids having fun dancing on stage.

This year, YACHT proved us wrong by adding a sense of direction to their music: an obsession with the colors black and white, the occult, revival Church showmanship, and even a song based on Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's famous mantras. The duo had their stage moves down pat, often gesturing their mics in sync with their music's glitchy breakdowns. While one wonders what their next move will be, it's impressive enough that the group could command a near-capacity crowd at the giant Brooklyn Bowl.

The night ended with a set by the disco DJ Godfathers, LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy and Pat Mahoney. Many people first raised eyebrows at their disco-heavy FabricLive mix two years ago, but time seems to have proven that they were ahead of the curve. As always, we couldn't name a single song they were playing... all we knew is that they were great.

At least a few others were glad to loosen up last night as well: the fine folks at PopMatters were on hand and a little less impressed by YACHT, while a journalist from the actual CMJ noted that James Murphy is so cool he can't even be made fun of for wearing sandals. As long as he keeps playing those records, he could look cool wearing Crocs.

What We Missed

As it had the promise of the XX appearing, last night's NME showcase had a packed house at the tiny Delancey. Meanwhile, PopMatters checked out a solid lineup of British lo-fi band (and recent Sub Pop signees) Male Bonding and dance weirdos Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt. The Village Voice, on the other hand, checked out buzz band of yore Japandroids with Real Estate, who only impressed somewhat. As for some Wednesday catchup, the New York Times has some a pretty nice photo set of everyone from Cymbals Eat Guitars to Kid Cudi. MOG friend Strange Glue also has photos of both the XX and Javelin from Wednesday night's Mercury Lounge show.

Trendwatch

While the first couple days of CMJ were dedicated to the pre-hyped bands getting publicity, some actual discoveries are starting to emerge. The hottest of these previously unknown bands is Sleigh Bells, a New York duo with only a few rough demos under their belt, but Stereogum swears they're great live. Cold Cave have also gotten a heap of positive praise despite our own reservations.

The Day Ahead

We're going to agree with Pop Tarts Suck Toasted and say you'd be dumb to miss tonight's Matador Records/True Panther showcase at the Suffolk. While True Panther has an equally exciting showcase tomorrow, tonight's the only CMJ show for Tanlines, who are one of our favorite discoveries of 2009. Really, you can't beat having them and Ted Leo in the same lineup, so just show up tonight!